Speed of traditional bicycles and electric bicycles

In the past few years, e-bikes have developed rapidly. Electric bicycles may play an important role in solving urban traffic and public health problems, allowing more people to leave cars and ride bicycles. However, as the number of users increases, potential conflicts (actual or imagined) with other road users will also increase, leading to policy problems.

At present, there are huge differences in the supervision of electric bicycles between states and local jurisdictions, which has caused confusion. This confusion stems from a variety of devices and technologies on the market. It is believed that legal entities have overlapping jurisdiction over devices, outdated or missing laws and regulations, and inconsistent terms used to describe electric bicycles. This confusion brings uncertainty to manufacturers and dealers, and also makes cyclists cautious about using electric bicycles.

One of the biggest concerns about electric bicycles and their use (especially on public roads) is speed. At present, the definition of electric bicycle in the Consumer Product Safety Law is that the maximum speed of an electric bicycle is 20 miles per hour when it is only driven by an electric motor. Considering the design specifications of electric bicycles, will people ride them faster? If so, how much faster than traditional bicycles? Is the speed of an electric bicycle sufficient to cause concern or problems for bicycle facilities?

First, we need to look at the speed of traditional bicycles. Opiela et al. measured the bicycle speed on various bicycle facilities and found that the average speed was about 12-15 miles/hour, and the maximum speed was 24-25 miles/hour (Table 1). The 2012 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guidelines for the Development of Bicycle Facilities recommended speed performance standards for bicycle facilities: 8-15 miles per hour on flat ground; Downhill 20-30+MPH; Climbing 5-12 miles/hour; The average running speed is 15 miles per hour.

Some people believe that equipment with speeds of up to 20 miles per hour or faster may not be available on bicycle lanes and public roads. Is this really a problem only for the use of electric bicycles? The recent crash on the facility has triggered discussion about the speed of traditional bicycles and conflicts with pedestrians and other cyclists. In New York City's Central Park, bicycles can travel 25-32 miles per hour on congested roads. Other cities do post speed limits on their facilities and occasionally try to enforce them.

The question of how fast an electric bicycle is and where to ride it has become a growing topic of discussion at the state and local policy levels. If an electric bicycle is not like a standard bicycle (that is, a pedal model), it is particularly controversial.

There are few studies comparing the speed of traditional and electric bicycles in the natural environment. A study on the University of Tennessee e-bike sharing project shows that the average speed and maximum speed of e-bikes are slightly higher than those of traditional bicycles (about 3 miles/hour) (Table 2). In terms of shared facilities, the average speed of traditional bicycle users is slightly higher than that of electric bicycle users, which is 7.8 mph and 6.8 mph respectively. Their average top speed is also slightly higher on all roads, with a top speed of 16.0 miles per hour for traditional bike users and 15.8 miles per hour for e-bike users.

Another Swedish study shows that the speed difference of electric bicycles is much smaller than that of traditional bicycles, although the reported average speed is about 5 miles per hour higher than that of traditional bicycles (Dozza, Werneke&Mackenzie, 2013). Interestingly, the maximum speed of each profession is the same.

Finally, the city of Boulder has been conducting a pilot project to determine whether e-bike users can coexist with other users on a multi-purpose path. As part of the pilot project, speed observations were conducted at four locations, with 16-17 mph representing 85 percent of all riders' speeds, and 60-70 percent of riders driving at or below the facility's 15 mph limit. Of the 1015 riders observed, only two electric bicycles were observed, and both were below 15 miles per hour.

These preliminary studies show that the average speed of electric bicycles is indeed faster than that of traditional bicycles, but it fully meets the design standards of bicycle facilities. Traffic planners, advocates of bicycles and pedestrians, and users of bicycle facilities should pay attention to the speed of these facilities, but it may not be appropriate to focus only on electric bicycles or limit this particular category of bicycles.

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